Storage of personal care products in the shower has always presented a problem. There have been a variety of products introduced in the nature of shelves and racks which are designed for use in retaining personal care products such as soap, shampoos, washcloths, brushes and the like in the bath and shower.
For example, there are shelves designed to be positioned in the corner of the shower stall or bath area and attached to the walls at the corner. There have also been a variety of products designed to be hung from the shower pipe or shower arm between the shower head and the wall. While this type of product is very popular and very convenient to use by a person taking a shower, there have been a number of problems associated with such hanging storage racks and shelf structures.
One deficiency of many racks is the inability to store tall bottles such as for shampoo and hair conditioner. Another problem with many racks is that they are made from a solid material and therefore items such as soap tend to sit in a puddle of water from the shower spray deflected off of the body, which is obviously undesirable. Another deficiency has been the instability of many structures hanging from the shower arm when an off-center load is placed thereon causing it to tilt and oftentimes spilling the stored objects onto the floor. A related stability problem has been the tendency of the top of the rack hanging from the shower arm to move forward and off of the shower arm since a typical shower arm while extending from the wall on a horizontal plane bends downwardly so that the shower head is directed downwardly at an angle as is necessary for use.
Attempts have been made to overcome such stability problems. For example, many racks or structures include a separate piece mountable on the shower arm to restrain movement of the storage unit away from the wall. Attempts to prevent tilting have involved the use of separate mechanical fastening devices at the back of the rack, such as a suction cup, in order to hold the rack in its proper position.
None of these attempts have been totally successful and, as a result, while a variety of shower shelf structures and racks are on the market none truly satisfy the need of utility, stability and low-cost.